I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for storing flat and in particular circular objects, especially coins, with slot-shaped openings for inserting and dispensing the objects, as well as for removing the overflow, in which the objects are arranged within circular compartments rotatable about a concentric axis. The compartments have limiting surfaces in the direction of this axis which pass helically about the concentric axis so that the plane of the stored objects is perpendicular to the concentric axis and around which the compartments are rotated. Thus, a plurality of successive compartments are formed in the axial direction. The openings for insertion and dispensing of the objects are in one plane perpendicular to the axis on one side of the helical arrangement of the limiting surfaces and the opening for the overflow is located in a plane parallel thereto on the other side of the helical arrangement of the limiting surfaces, whereby compartments are made ready for the objects to be inserted by moving the compartments in one rotation direction and are made ready for dispensing the stored objects by moving the compartments in the other rotation direction.
II. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to store coins in so-called coin shafts, which are filled from above and from which coins can be removed at the bottom with the aid of special removal means. The removal means have reciprocating slides enabling the lowermost coin of a column located in a shaft to be removed. These storage means suffer from numerous disadvantages. If a large number of coins are to be stored, then the necessary shaft height is very considerable, so that a large amount of space is required. In addition, there is a risk of coins jamming in the shafts. The dispensing of the coins takes place relatively slowly, because the slide must be moved backwards and forwards for each coin. As the dispensing device must be set very accurately to the particular coin thickness, even slightly bent coins can cause considerable difficulties during dispensing. Another factor which has to be taken into consideration on dispensing is the weight of the coin column, which can vary considerably as a function of the number of coins in the shaft. In addition, special intermediate stores are required if, in the case of any coin return, those coins have to be dispensed which were introduced last.
The aforementioned disadvantages are avoided by the money changer or cash dispenser disclosed in German Pat. No. DE-05 27 52 313, in which the coin magazine for each coin type has a ring mounted in a rotary manner with at least approximately radial compartments uniformly distributed around the ring circumference and which are formed between compartment walls projecting on a flat circular ring and which in each case receive a single coin. On each compartment ring is provided an insertion channel outlet, a return channel inlet and an overflow channel inlet. The outlet and the two inlets are in each case displaced with respect to one another by one compartment spacing of the ring. In order to fill the ring with coins, the latter is turned in one direction, while the dispensing of stored coins takes place by turning in the other direction. As the coins drop as a result of their own weight when inserted into the compartments located below the insertion channel outlet and on so dispensing drop from the particular compartment into the return channel inlet, there is no need for special means for displacing the coins during insertion or dispensing. However, even this known cash dispenser or money changer suffers from disadvantages. In the case of a very large number of coins to be stored, there is a correspondingly large compartment ring diameter, which is contrary to the requirement of a compact coin storage means. Another disadvantage is the relatively slow dispensing speed. As the longitudinal axis of the insertion and/or dispensing slots is perpendicular to the rotation movement of the compartment ring, the latter must be stopped in the particular position for inserting or dispensing a coin and must remain in this position until the coin has reliably dropped into the compartment or out of the same. If it is not ensured that the particular coin has completely dropped into the compartment or has passed out of it, the means can be considerably damaged in the case of a premature further movement of the compartment ring. In addition, the coins cannot be inserted in an uninterrupted sequence and instead only a single coin can be introduced following each compartment ring step, because there would otherwise be a danger of the compartment ring being locked by a jammed coin. Therefore, the insertion and dispensing of the coins can only take place relatively slowly. In addition, considerable precision requirements are made on the known means, because there must be precise alignment of the compartments in the insertion or dispensing position with the associated channel inlets or the channel outlet. As the compartment or channel width corresponds to the width of the particular coins, i.e. is very small, the reciprocal alignment must be very accurately carried out. Even a minor displacement can mean that insertion or dispensing is made very difficult or even impossible.
An example of the aforementioned apparatus is disclosed in DE-AS 21 42 193. This apparatus has one slit for both inserting and dispensing coins.
This inevitably leads to the conclusion that neither the insertion nor the dispensing of coins can be accomplished entirely by means of their weight. As here the dispensing of coins takes place using the effects of gravity, a special device has to be provided for insertion, in order to push the coins into the storage apparatus against the pull of gravity. The apparatus according to the prior art has a relatively elaborate device, namely, a revolving closure device and its control, as well as several levers, an impelling rod and a control unit including a cam disc, and a cam follower. This elaborate mechanism does not permit quick and friction-free insertion of the objects